Ajay Fancy & General Store

We have been sitting here at this spot on Tonk Road for a good while now. Kotkhawada Main Market is always a bit noisy, especially in the afternoons when everyone comes out. My shop, Ajay Fancy & General Store, is just one of many along this stretch, but we try to keep things in order. I spend most of my day behind the counter, rearranging the glass bangles or sorting through the small plastic toys and household stuff. It is not a very big space, but we have crammed a lot of things into the shelves. People from the nearby houses stop by for their daily needs. Sometimes they just want a packet of bindis or some soap. The traffic on Tonk Road can be quite something, with the dust and the horns honking all day long. I usually open up early before it gets too hot. By the time evening rolls around, the lights in the market come on and it feels different. We handle a bit of everything here, from ribbons to detergent. It is just a regular shop where people know they can find the small things they forgot to buy in the city. I do not have a big team, just a couple of us making sure everything stays on the shelves. It is hard work staying open all day, but that is how it goes in a place like Jaipur.